Storyline: A+

Artwork: A

What is it which has made Wally West a fan favourite of Flash readers over the years? If you have to ask, then just read Titans #5 to find out.

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]ith the other Titans scattered across the continent, all about to die at the hands of their evil teenage magical doppelgangers, it’s a race against time for Wally West – the Flash – to rescue them. But can even he run fast enough to save them all from certain death across such a distance within a mere six seconds? And even if he does, can he still rescue his beloved Linda Park too? With the villainous future technomage Kadabra taunting him constantly, it’s time for Wally to push himself to the limit…

Simply put, this is amazing.

After a bit of a slight lull in the preceedings, Titans returns not only to form but even surpasses it, offering up the best issue so far. Through stunning visuals and a compelling narrative, it’s Wally at his best. As he faces personal doubt, an enemy who’s managed to get into his head to play psychological games, and the greatest enemy of all for any Flash – time itself. Racing so fast he’s constantly in danger of breaching the Speed Force itself, it’s one of the most stunning Flash stories of all time which never loses sight of the real goal: that he’s doing all this for his friends and for the woman he loves.

If there’s any nit-picking to be done it’s that once again the rest of the Titans are on the back burner, storywise. But then, this really is Wally’s tale and full focus deserved to be on him. So really, what’s the gripe? Forget it and just read this issue without any complaints at all, because it truly is outstanding. They even manage to get in a little backstory regarding what’s been going on with Kadabra which may have led up to the current series of events.

But say, what’s the deal with pizza fish? It’s been in the background right from the start. Well, that and the misspelling of “Yacht” a few issues ago, but it’s the pizza fish which is really making me scratch my head.

But back to the praise! If you’re a Flash fan, a fan of Wally West, a fan of the Titans and the Teen Titans, a fan of DC, a fan of comic books in general, or even just a fan of great storytelling then read Titans #5. It’s worth every cent.